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The 20-Hole Plug

When I have applied enough coats of finish to the deck, I set aside the board to cure. Later I will polish it (a technique called "rubbing out"), but it needs to rest awhile to adequately dry out. Ideally, I would like to let it sit a month, but often we polish it sooner.

I like the 20-hole center to be something special in each board we make. We use a number of ideas to make centers. One method is to use a large glass stone, which we can find at any craft store. Sometimes we will paint the stone bottom so the color shows through. Another idea is to use fancy cabinet knobs. The method I use for these three oak boards is to put a decal over a wood plug, which I will then insert from the board bottom. I use a special decal paper that is designed for my inkjet printer and that can be applied to wood. Our source for the paper is Bel Inc.

I want the center to fit as best as possible, so I want it to be 1 3/8" in diameter or slightly larger. If it is larger, I use a dremel tool to enlarge the hole from the bottom but not at the top. When I insert the center plug, the player must be able to remove a disc from the center hole without difficulty, so the hole must be between 1/8" and 1/4" deep.

I always fit a center plug from the bottom. I usually glue the plug to a larger piece of wood, which I glue to the board bottom. In the picture, I show two center plugs with decals that will be glued to the platforms on which they sit. I printed the decals on decal paper. I soaked them in water and slid the decals onto the plug surface, which I then covered with two coats of polyurethane.

The picture also shows some other works in progress. I have two boxes to store discs, and I have made some scoring pegs for one. To paint pegs, I wrap a peg stem with masking tape to fashion a temporary handle. I then stick the handles in pliers to hold them upright while they dry. You can also see a set of posts drying on a peg board.